Victoria Beckham sued by ex-employee over hand injury after she worked '15 hours a day, 7 days a week'
Victoria Beckham’s clothing brand is being sued by a former employee after she developed a serious hand injury.
A pattern cutter named Kristina Kubiliene, 54, claims that after working for up to 15 hours a day before the New York fashion week, she developed a serious hand injury that required surgery. Kubiliene had worked for Victoria Beckham Ltd in their London studio for almost eight years and left the job last year after she got carpal tunnel syndrome. She was unable to do her job after she underwent surgery last year, and has not been able to work since.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common yet painful condition that causes pain, numbness and tingling sensation in the hand and arm. This condition comes into play when the median nerve, one of the major nerves in the hand, is compressed. Kubiliene said she developed the syndrome after she had to handle heavy fabrics and equipment for over 15 hours a day for seven days a week in the days leading to New York Fashion Week. She had no regular breaks or rest and had to resort to painkillers to get through her long shift, according to her lawyers. Kubiliene's personal injury claim is being represented by law firm Slater and Gordon.
An industrial disease lawyer at Slater and Gordon, Natasha Moyeed, said that her client Kubiliene “absolutely loved her job”. “She was a pattern cutter and very good at this job, but because she was good she was tasked with working for long periods and with heavy fabrics. It was these repetitive, awkward, and sustained movements which cause carpal tunnel syndrome to advance rapidly in hands and wrists," said Moyeed.
"When I last saw her she could barely open her handbag. She is unable to work and has had to undergo surgery to have any kind of movement in her hands. Normally she worked 10am to 6pm, but twice a year for two weeks she attended New York fashion week. For a month beforehand her workload increased to up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week, without regular breaks or rest. During these times her hands and wrists were so sore she needed painkillers to work. Victoria Beckham Limited failed to put measures in place to look after Kristina and prevent this from happening," continued Moyeed. There has been no official statement from Victoria Beckham Ltd as they have declined to comment.
Most recently, Beckham’s company had also been in another situation that landed them in some hot water. It was reported that the company had used "taxpayers' money to furlough 30 staffers during the coronavirus lockdown despite its founder’s vast personal wealth". The brand has reportedly failed to turn a profit and according to the latest accounts filed, it had suffered more than $14M (£12M) loss in 2018.